WITH the Government of Guyana and its technical cash grant task force currently focusing on pensioners and public servants, General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo said that in early 2025, the next phase of distribution will be rolled out to target the rest of the country’s adult population.

At his weekly press conference on Thursday, Dr. Jagdeo provided further details about the distribution process.

On Wednesday, Parliament approved a sum of $30.5 billion which represents a portion of what government requires for the initiative.

Dr. Jagdeo explained that when the budget is presented next year, the additional funds will be included to cover the remaining citizens who qualify for the cash grant.

He told the media that the next national budget is expected to be presented in February 2025 and will outline the government’s fiscal plans and initiatives.

Dr Jagdeo explained that the government cannot allocate the remaining portion of the funds until the 2025 budget is passed, but is working tirelessly to ensure as many Guyanese as possible receive their cheques by the end of December.

“We cannot appropriate the balance of the money until we have a budget. So, the budget will come out in about February of next year.
Hopefully, it will pass by February of next year and then we can seek to appropriate the balance.” he said.

Dr. Jagdeo revealed that the government anticipates that an additional $30 billion will be distributed to eligible adults in the country. With an estimated 600,000 adults, the government will include the additional sum in the 2025 budget.

“We anticipate it will be another $30 billion because we think there are about 600,000 adults in the country or just over that. We will appropriate the rest of the sum in that period,” he noted.

Regarding the distribution timeline, Dr. Jagdeo assured the public that cheques for those who have already been processed would be delivered in December.

The government is prioritising public servants and pensioners, with the goal of distributing cheques to these groups before the year’s end.

Further, the General Secretary said that every effort is being made to ensure that there are not hurdles in the registration process which will continue up to when the budget is passed.

He admitted that although not all Guyanese will receive their cash grants for Christmas as was hoped, everyone will get theirs in due time.

Moreover, Budget 2025 is slated to be more comprehensive than the previous ones, tackling a wide range of areas.

The General Secretary highlighted the government’s commitment to fulfilling its financial promises, with a clear plan for the cash grant disbursements which form part of the ongoing efforts to improve the livelihoods of Guyanese citizens. (Shaniya Harding)